What Antigonish Electric Utility does (and what Nova Scotia Power does instead)
Antigonish is one of five Nova Scotia towns that still run their own electricity utility. Antigonish Electric Utility is the Town's electric service: it owns the distribution wires, transformers, service drops and meters inside the municipal service area, and is also the entity that bills you. Its parent is the Town of Antigonish.
The electricity itself, the bulk power that flows into Antigonish, comes from Nova Scotia Power. Nova Scotia Power's grid delivers power to the Town's network under a wholesale arrangement. From there, Antigonish Electric Utility distributes it across its own network to your meter. Two utilities, one bill, one outage number.
Where Antigonish Electric Utility delivers power
If your address is inside the Town of Antigonish municipal service area, the Town is your distributor. Outside the service area, Nova Scotia Power is the wires owner. The Town's footprint covers the neighbourhoods within the municipal boundary and immediate fringe in north-eastern mainland Nova Scotia.
How Antigonish's charges appear on your bill
A residential Antigonish Electric Utility bill has a fixed monthly Base Charge plus a per-kWh Energy Charge, set through the Town's rate schedule. Nova Scotia applies 15 % HST, but the provincial 10 % portion on residential home electricity is rebated at the till through the Your Energy Rebate Program, so households effectively pay the 5 % federal portion. The cost stack reflects what the Town pays Nova Scotia Power for bulk power plus its own distribution and operating costs.
Contact details
Report a power outage
If your power is out, call the 24/7 after-hours power-trouble line at 902-863-7666. The Town's crews handle outages on the local distribution network; if the cause is upstream on Nova Scotia Power's transmission grid, restoration depends on Nova Scotia Power's crews.
New connection or service upgrade
For a new build, a service upgrade or any work that changes the wires or meter inside the town service area, you deal with Antigonish Electric Utility. Call 902-867-5575 or visit https://www.townofantigonish.ca/electric-utility.html. You will need the civic address, a site sketch, the service amperage signed off by your electrician, and the relevant Nova Scotia electrical permit.
Moving home, transferring or closing a service
For a move within the town service area, call Antigonish Electric Utility: the Town closes the old billing account and opens the new one. Allow a couple of business days for standard moves; allow more for end-of-month moves. If you are moving outside the town, you will close the Antigonish account and open a new one with Nova Scotia Power at the new address.
Meters, meter reading and accuracy
Antigonish Electric Utility owns the meter at your address. If you suspect a fault, request an accuracy test: the Town arranges for the meter to be tested against Measurement Canada tolerances. If the meter is out of tolerance, the test is free and you get a billing adjustment; if it passes, the test fee is charged to you at the Town's tariff rate.
What do you need to do with Antigonish Electric Utility?
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Note: under AUC Rule 002, Alberta distributors are not required to pay automatic compensation for outages. Damage claims are evaluated case-by-case on negligence.
Compensation and damage claims
Nova Scotia has no statutory automatic-compensation scheme for individual outages. You can file a damage claim with Antigonish Electric Utility; it is evaluated case-by-case on negligence. Losses from weather, third-party contact, wildlife or planned outages are routinely denied. For most residential losses, home insurance is faster and more likely to pay.
Regulator and complaint escalation
Antigonish Electric Utility is governed by Antigonish Town Council, which approves its rate schedule, and is regulated as a municipal electric utility by the Nova Scotia Energy Board (NSEB), formerly the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (NSUARB). If a billing or service dispute cannot be resolved with the Town directly, you can escalate to the Town's customer service team and, ultimately, to the Nova Scotia Energy Board.